Go Back
–+ servings
Vegetables for stock on a tray: leek, onion, carrots, red pepper, celery, parsley and bay leaf

How to Make Vegetable Stock: Salt-Free in 30 Minutes

Ben Goshawk
A salt-free vegetable stock with five minutes of prep and thirty minutes of simmering. Carrots, celery, leek, red pepper and two slices of orange give it a fresh, light flavour. Reduce it to a tenth of its volume and freeze it as homemade stock cubes.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Recipes
Servings 3 Litre
Calories 50 kcal

Equipment

  • Fine-mesh strainer / Chinois
  • Ice cube tray
  • Chef's knife
  • Chopping board
  • Measuring jug
  • Saucepan
  • Ladle / Skimming spoon
  • Tongs

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 White onion skin removed - 200g/7oz
  • 3 Celery sticks washed - 150g/5.5oz
  • 2 Medium sized Carrots - 200g/7oz
  • 1/4 Large leek - 150g/5.5oz
  • 1/3 Red pepper - 125g/4.5oz
  • 2 Slices of orange
  • Small handful of parsley could just be stalks they have lots of flavour
  • 3 Sprigs of thyme
  • 1 star anise
  • 2 Bay Leaves fresh or dried
  • 6 Whole black peppercorns

Instructions
 

  • Gather ingredients: half a white onion with the skin removed, washed and cut into 4 pieces, 2 carrots washed and cut into 3 cm pieces, 3 celery sticks washed and cut into 3 cm pieces, the equivalent of 1 regular leek washed and cut into 3 cm pieces, 1/3 of a red bell pepper washed and cut into large pieces, 2 small slices of orange, a small handful of parsley, a few sprigs of thyme, 2 bay leaves (fresh or dried), 1 star anise, and 6 whole black peppercorns.
  • Place all ingredients in a 4 litre saucepan and add 3 litres of water.
  • Bring to a boil on high heat, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. After 5 minutes, begin skimming off impurities with a ladle or spoon. Repeat as needed.
  • Simmer for 30 minutes, then turn off the heat and let it cool slightly.
  • Gather containers to store the stock and use tongs or a slotted spoon to distribute the vegetables evenly among the containers. Add the liquid, but not the orange slices.
  • Refrigerate the stock for 24-48 hours.
  • After 24-48 hours, remove the vegetables and the stock will last for around 5 days in the refrigerator.
  • To make the stock last longer, strain it into a saucepan and boil it until you have 1/10 of the original amount. For example, if you started with 1.2 litres, boil it down to 120ml.
  • Pour the concentrated stock carefully into an ice cube tray and freeze it to make your own stock cubes.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1litreCalories: 50kcalCarbohydrates: 9.3gProtein: 2.4gFat: 0.7gSaturated Fat: 0.28gSodium: 150mgPotassium: 190mgSugar: 5.5g
Keyword homemade vegetable stock, salt free stock, vegetable stock, vegetable stock cubes
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!